Think of the Children for August 20th

Another week brings another large list of rated titles from the ESRB. Much like last week, it is loaded with all kinds of titles with something for everyone. The PC, Wii and DS have many kids’ titles and casual games as usual, while the 360 and PS3 again have another week of balance. It is also interesting to note that the late summer is definitely the time of the third party, as there are very few games the last few weeks that both consoles aren’t both getting rated. As for the interesting title of the week, it is actually three of them, they aren’t games and you can only get them from one place.

There are lots of goodies for the kids this week in the land of the PC, Wii and DS. I know I say that every week, but it seemed like there was a higher concentration than normal. Titles include Back At The Barnyard: Slop Bucket Games (DS), Backyard Football '09 (DS), Disney Bolt: Be-Awesome Edition (DS), Sponge Bob Square Pants featuring NickToons Globs of Doom (DS), Ultimate I SPY (Wii), Safari Doctor (Wii), We Cheer (Wii) Little Farm (PC) and Igor: The Game (PC,Wii). There are even more than that, so check out the list below.

This week brings another solid group of rated titles for both the S3 and 360. Each console saw Madden NFL 09 en Español, ShellShock 2: Blood Trails and the highly anticipated Saints Row 2 and Rock Revolution on the list. In addition, the 360 also had Guilty Gear 2: Overture rated. It’s always nice to see console games with the ‘M’ rating come out (Saint’s Row 2 and ShellShock 2), because even if they stink, there will be lots of gore, animated blood and simulated nastiness all available in Hi Definition. I’m personally interested in Rock Revolution to see how Konami will take the Music Ensemble games to the next level.

The Intriguing Titles of the Week are the Talkman Travel series from SCEA. The intial ratings (and versions) feature the three cities of Paris, Rome and Tokyo. After doing a little research, it turns out these are mini travel guides that you can play on your PSP. Apparently, they contain common phrases and photos to help you get around these three cities. They appear to be interactive as well, allowing the unit to “speak” phrases through the PSP speakers if you just can’t get the words out of your mouth right. The nice thing is that these are DLC straight from the Playstation Network and only cost $5.99 per city. Hopefully they will continue to support these to keep them updated, otherwise they will become out-of-date and no better than a 10-year-old pamphlet found stuffed into a seat at a train station in Budapest.

Title

Publisher

Rating

Platforms

Dairy Dash

Encore Software

Everyone

Macintosh, Windows PC

Emma at the Farm

Aspyr Media, Inc.

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles

Encore Software

Everyone

Windows PC

Movie Party

Ubisoft

Everyone 10+

Wii

National Geographic Panda

Namco Bandai

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Safari Doctor

Ubisoft

Everyone

Wii

SpongeBob SquarePants featuring NickToons Globs of Doom

THQ Inc

Everyone

Nintendo DS

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

THQ Inc

Teen

PlayStation 2, PSP

YUMMY YUMMY COOKING JAM

Virtual Toys S.L.

Everyone

Wii

World in Conflict: Complete

Vivendi Games

Teen

Windows PC

Wedding Dash 2: Rings around the world

Encore Software

Everyone

Macintosh, Windows PC

Ultimate I SPY

Scholastic Inc.

Everyone

Wii

The Incredible Maze

Digital Leisure Inc.

Everyone

Wii

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

Electronic Arts

Everyone 10+

Nintendo DS

Secret of the Silver Earring

DreamCatcher

Teen

Windows PC

Little Farm

Mumbo Jumbo

Everyone

Windows PC

Madden NFL 09 en Español

Electronic Arts

Everyone

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Marine World

DreamCatcher

Everyone 10+

Windows PC

Igor: The Game

Southpeak Games

Everyone

Windows PC, Wii

Disney Bolt: Be-Awesome Edition / DGamer

Disney Interactive Studios

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Circus Games

Ubisoft

Everyone

Wii

Cross Fire

G4Box Inc.

Teen

Windows PC

Doggie Dash

Encore Software

Everyone

Macintosh, Windows PC

Emma in the Mountains

Aspyr Media, Inc.

Everyone

Nintendo DS

EnerG: Horse Rider

Ubisoft

Everyone

Wii

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno

THQ Inc

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Back At The Barnyard: Slop Bucket Games

THQ Inc

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Backyard Football '09

Atari

Everyone

Nintendo DS

MadStone

RiverMan Media LLC.

Everyone

Wii

ShellShock 2: Blood Trails

Eidos Interactive

Mature

Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Rock Revolution

Konami

Teen

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii

Pet Vet: Down Under

Koch Media

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Tak and the Guardians of Gross

THQ Inc

Everyone 10+

PlayStation 2, Wii

The Last Half of Darkness: Beyond the Spirit's Eye

Tri Synergy Inc.

Teen

Windows PC

We Cheer

Namco Bandai

Everyone 10+

Wii

MechanicMaster

Midway Home Entertainment

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Mystery in London

Activision Value

Everyone 10+

Windows PC

Guilty Gear 2: Overture

Aksys Games

Teen

Xbox 360

Allen Carr's EASYWAY to Stop Smoking

Ubisoft

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Fashion Boutique

RealNetworks

Everyone 10+

Macintosh, Windows PC

Drivers' Ed Portable

DreamCatcher

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Monster Quest

Activision Value

Everyone

Macintosh, Windows PC

Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked

Konami

Everyone 10+

Wii

Transformers Animated: The Game

Activision

Everyone

Nintendo DS

Talkman Travel: Paris

SCEA

Everyone

PSP

Talkman Travel: Rome

SCEA

Everyone

PSP

Talkman Travel: Tokyo

SCEA

Everyone

PSP

STALKER Clear Sky

Koch Media

Mature

Windows PC

Saints Row 2

THQ Inc

Mature

Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Here is the final tally on who, what and where everything was rated for the last two weeks. There were 49 rated titles on eight platforms. PC (17), DS (14), Wii (13), Wii (11), Xbox 360 (5) and Macintosh (5) had the most games rated. There were 39 of the 49 titles rated at E10+ or lower, seven rated at T for Teen and three (Saint’s Row 2, ShellShock 2: Blood Trails and STALKER Clear Sky) rated at M for Mature.

Got a comment on the article or a rated games, put it in the section below or send me an e-mail. Until next week, make sure you know what your kids are playing……

*The weekly Intriguing Title of the Week (and any game that is tossed in that paragraph) is identified based on a game on the list that catches the eye of the author for any number of reasons. Good, bad or otherwise, feel free to agree, disagree or add some constructive input to the discussion.

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company for review.

About Author

I spent the greater part of my informative years glued to the front of a Commodore 64 after we wore out our Intellivision. If you were in the Toledo area surfing C-64 bulletin boards in the mid 80's, we probably have already met. When not running the BBS, I spent countless hours wandering around the streets of Skara Brae, as my life was immersed in The Bard's Tale series on the C-64. After taking the early 90's off from gaming (college years) minus the occasional Bill Walsh College Football on Sega, I was re-introduced to PC games in the mid 1990's with a couple of little games called DOOM II and Diablo. I went all-in with the current generation of consoles, getting an Xbox 360 on launch weekend as well as adding a PS3 and Wii in subsequent years.

While my byline is on many reviews, articles and countless news stories, I have a passion for and spent the last several years at GamingNexus focusing on audio & video and accessories as they relate to gaming. Having over 15 years of Home Theater consulting and sales under my belt, it is quite enjoyable to spend some of my time viewing gaming through the A/V perspective. While I haven't yet made it to one of the major gaming conventions (PAX or E3), I have represented GamingNexus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas for the last six years.

I have been a staff member at GamingNexus since 2006 and feel lucky to have the opportunity to put to use my B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University.